23 March 2017

Transphorm introduces Silicon Valley Center of Excellence

Transphorm Inc of Goleta, near Santa Barbara, CA, USA, which designs and manufactures what it claims are the industry’s only JEDEC-qualified 650V gallium nitride (GaN) field-effect transistors (FETs) for high-voltage power conversion applications, has formally introduced its Silicon Valley Center of Excellence.

Established over the past year, the center is Transphorm’s customer support initiative for high-voltage GaN-based power application development. Its mission is to educate and support customers developing with high-voltage GaN. It will also build out a technical library consisting of application notes, white papers and open-source reference designs. To that end, a reference design suite for targeted markets (automotive, data center, servo/motor, renewables) is scheduled as the next release on the center’s product roadmap.

Products and services released from the center fall under four primary focus areas: Design Tools, Education, Support, Technical Library. Further, Transphorm says that these products and services will reinforce its commitment to high quality and reliability (Q+R) standards, enabling customers to build with and maintain confidence in high-voltage GaN technology.

“We’ve added over 150 man-years of power management design experience and, with that, the ability to optimize solutions for performance, system cost and manufacturability,” says Mike White, senior VP, sales & marketing. “Our objective is to be the trusted advisor; we are educating the market on how to design with GaN technology. And, we’re taking a hands-on approach to helping our customers solve their most challenging issues,” he adds.

Located in San Jose, CA, the center has regional team members worldwide. The staff comprises experienced power supply design engineers and technical marketers with backgrounds in magnetics, noise control, PCB design, Q+R testing, tool development, topologies and other relevant subjects. Transphorm’s technical library includes the following:

• Design Tools - evaluation kits, reference designs, simulation models (SPICE);
• Education - topical information, such as EMI control methods, high-power application concepts, optimization techniques, topology comparisons, etc;
• Support - global field applications team, Q+R testing, system component selection analysis, technical marketing; and
• Technical Library - application notes, design guides, PCB layouts, schematics, technical white papers.

The center’s latest releases include the ‘GaN FETs in Parallel Using Drain Ferrite Beads and RC Snubbers for High-power Applications’ application note, the TPH3212PS FET SPICE model and the 2.5kW Half Bridge Buck or Boost evaluation kit.

Additionally, products will be posted to Transphorm’s online Design Resources section at www.transphormusa.com/design-resources.

Inquiries on specific project guidance, appropriate GaN devices, or other system development questions can be submitted at www.transphormusa.com/design-support-request.

Tags: Transphorm GaN-on-Si GaN HEMT Power electronics

Visit: www.transphormusa.com